...I devised and detailed an entirely different system of numbering and measurement for Desolate and Barren Stars?

Because I kinda did...

Essentially it's a base sixty system instead of base ten with an exponential metric.

The units of measure are:

The Length about two meters in modern terms.

The Square, a square one length by one length.

The Space, a cube of one length on each side.

The Load,  the mass of a Space full of water.

The Round, about six seconds.

The Prefixes

Maxi x 3600
Super x 60
Sub /60
Mini /3600

After Maxi you get another unit title but the unit titles are added when the maximum range of assembled values is reached.  For example a billion would be a thousand million and the next term would come up for a million million.

Not that this is replacing modern math in the game mind you.  Just the units of measure and the fluff math.

I did this with Nebuleon. It does not play well to the masses.

I love stuff like this but I don't think very many players do. It's something that plays well to DMs but which players loathe. Remember that 99% of players (not DMs) are lazy and uncouth and can't be bothered learning anything if it doesn't relate at least indirectly to killing things or surviving long enough to kill more things.

I'll probably stick it in the referee's apocrypha section rather than the introduction to the book.  That way the use of the units in the rules will come off as utilitarian gamist terms, like D&D giving ranges in inches or spaces.

Because in a sense that's what it is.  I just got to thinking about it in terms of vehicle design and there were a few other things like a discussion on the radio about how the current use of "billion" isn't actually proper Oxford english.

I would suggest not adding that "feature" in unless it has a direct bearing on play. In particular, the base 60 thing.  Who would want to do all those calculations to simply move a meter and fire?
 
Not me....

Yeah, no worries there, I'm not suggesting you'll ever need to do base sixty math.  In any case, a space or square is conveniently the size of a space or square on the table.  That the next unit is a sixty square super unit isn't really going to hurt anyone.

Quote from: noisms;283568I love stuff like this but I don't think very many players do. It's something that plays well to DMs but which players loathe. Remember that 99% of players (not DMs) are lazy and uncouth and can't be bothered learning anything if it doesn't relate at least indirectly to killing things or surviving long enough to kill more things.

Yes, because having to learn a whole new number system to play a game is entirely reasonable.

David, I wouldn't, mate.

Quote from: Narf the Mouse;283610Yes, because having to learn a whole new number system to play a game is entirely reasonable.

Oh come on now, that's an overstatement. All that would be required would be remembering that such-and-such an amount of one thing is such-and-such an equivalent in metres. Big whoop.

But whatever, I know that this is a minority view, so probably these things are best left out.

Therefore requiring conversion - And most people can't convert to/from different number systems in their head.

Same as most people can't do long division in their heads.

But I don't want to start up contention. If it's important to you, stick it in. I'd just advise telling people it's optional information.

Oh alright I'll just use metric.  Same problem for most American customers but that's nothing new.

Quote from: Narf the Mouse;283753Therefore requiring conversion - And most people can't convert to/from different number systems in their head.

Same as most people can't do long division in their heads.

But I don't want to start up contention. If it's important to you, stick it in. I'd just advise telling people it's optional information.

It's not me who wants to stick it in. I think we're actually offering the same advice!

Incidentally the conversion is no harder than looking at a map and using the scale per hex.  Even so I've seen some of the discussion that's gone on about D&D 4e's use of spaces instead of actual measures and it's not pretty.